Deceitful Time
Chapter Fourteen: Defense

"Give me that!" He beckoned as he lunged for the pretty, pink, peach shaped bottle that Mi kept just out of his reach, a glittering grin on her face the entire time.

"Why, Yasha?" Mi teased before spinning around, almost as if she was dancing, until the sofa separated him from her, "why? Why? Did it work?"

"No!" Damn that little minx, she might not be able to beat him in a fight but she could forever out run him, "Mi, give it!"

"What are you guys doing?" Kagome sighed; here she thought she was in some grave danger, after all, he had made such a big deal about her getting to his place. Fifteen minutes later, he busted through his door, slammed it shut, locked it and went after Mi for her supposed 'love' potion. For nearly twenty minutes she had both been ignored and ignored their stupidity, trying her best to stay in the kitchen scoffing about this and that mentally to herself until she simply could not take it anymore.

"Yeah, Yasha, what are you doing?" Mi taunted, again snatching the bottle just out of his reach. Unfortunately, she bumped into the wall, stopping her just long enough for him to finally grasp the bottle. "Aw, Yasha!"

"Shiro!" Kagome shouted as she stomped on the floor rather harshly, "what! Is! Going! On!?"

That got him to turn to her, finally, "settle down, Kagome!"

"Why are you the one yelling!?"

"I'm just going to go now," Mi murmured to herself as she took a few steps to the side until she could sneak out the closest door.

He opened his mouth to protest something else but he got the feeling that a fuming Kagome was something worth fearing so he took a deep breath, let it out, and cooled down, "sorry."

Sorry… sorry was so un-Inuyasha, it almost made her frown. Inuyasha would have bickered with her for quite a while more before they either just gave up on to the endless pointlessness or one would storm off. She supposed that after five hundred years learning to control his temper was something that she should praise him for but… it was wrong. "So… what's going on?"

"Nothing," he assured while hiding his hands behind his back, the peach bottle along with them, "how's your day goin'?"

Really? Really? He was going to try that? First, he disappears after last night… that was enough to make her blood cease to sizzle.

"Kagome?"

"Do I have to stay?" She murmured, finally allowing her glance to move away from him.

"Last night…" in the past he might have been the densest man in the world, but through time he figured out that doing pretty much anything intimate with a woman then bailing shortly after and not even calling the next day was a rather big 'no-no' particularly when said girl was a virgin.

"Look," she sped out, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Kagome—"

"I'm leaving!" With her arms thrown up in the air she turned around and headed out of the living room, she only got to where her shoes were located until she felt him pull her back into a rather tight embrace, "s-stop!"

"I'm sorry," he muttered into her ear. Gods, how she hated herself for letting that make her heart skip a beat, "it's just if I stayed any longer I would have gone crazy. You smelled way too good and I promised not to do anything more, remember? If I had stayed I wouldn't have kept my word."

That wasn't romantic, so if that was what he was going for he failed rather miserably and she made a point of showing him that by smacking him in the gut with her elbow, "whatever! I don't care!"

"It's not fully my fault anyway!"

Her entire body twitched at that before she took a deep breath, "are you blaming me!? It was your idea! You pervert! Showing up at my window like that then! Then! Then…" with a wave of her hand she tried to get away but, again, he grabbed her.

"It's this," he dangled the peach bottle in front of her face.

She rolled her eyes, "love is not having sex, Shiro! Even if that love potion worked you should have been charming or something not—!"

"I told you that type of thing doesn't exist."

"Then what is that?" Kagome dragged out with folded arms, "hm? Just take responsibility for your stupidity," his heartless actions, his narrow-sex-minded self.

"You aren't going to believe me," he assured but her stern, solid stare did not falter, "it's a… lust potion. Love and lust kind of go hand in hand, ya' know? So Junko sells it off for the real deal to screw with people. I had to go get a counter-potion from her today... I couldn't stop thinking about you that night so I went to see you and that's why we did what we did and I thought I'd handle myself better, I usually do, but damn, Kagome, you smelled really good last night. I would have ripped you to shreds probably, I mean, I am a demon and you're really frail—"

"Stop," she rose her hand up, "you are right, I don't believe you at all."

"Awesome, you drink this and we'll see how you react," he tempted while shaking the bottle in front of her face, "seriously, if you don't believe me, just take a few sips."

"No," she shrieked.

"Why?"

She shook her head, "because I say so."

"Then you believe me?"

"No!"

"Why would I lie about this? It's a ridiculously terrible one! If I was going to lie I'd make up something you'd believe." He knew he could have formulated the perfect lie if he felt like it, something that would get him out of the dog house without a problem; he was grand at that type of thing. But, really, he'd love to get her to drink the potion—what would a lustful Kagome be like? Perhaps he should put a few drizzles in her next drink…

"Shiro," she mildly whined, "you are impossible."

"Fine," he sighed, "fine, let's put that to the side for a moment, OK? When are you leaving for your family trip?"

Wirily, her eyes narrowed upon him, "…tomorrow."

"Do you have to go?"

"What do you mean 'do I have to go'?" She scoffed, "I want to go, in less, you are willing to open the well—"

"Not happening," he assured before a pause, "fine, then, I'm going with you."

"No you aren't!" Maybe she had thought about bring him before but surely not now, "what makes—"

"I'm not going as a part of the family or anything; I'm just going to monitor to make sure nothing happens to you."

She didn't even need to ask, the way she cocked a brow with hardly pressed lips said it all.

"Do you not remember what Takeo told you?"

"Right," she nodded, "that whole Ohachi's list thing… what does that mean?"

"It's bad," he coaxed out before taking a step closer to her, "please trust me on this. It's a really bad thing; I need to have an eye on you at all time to make sure you are alright."

"Will you tell me what that whole 'list' thing is about?"

It took a little while for him to reply, his auburn mixed amber gaze focusing on her hazels, "I can't."

Her brows twitched before snorting, "what? If my life's in danger then why—"

"It's complicated," he muttered.

It was only, only, because she thought he looked truly sorry that she let it go. It was only, only, because her life was at danger that she agreed to let him do his weird 'tag-along' thing on the trip. It was only, only, because he said it'd be hazardous for her to walk home that night that she called and lied to her mother by saying she was spending the night at Eriko's house but instead stayed at his. It was only, only, because they were watching a movie and he happened to fall asleep that she let him sleep in her lap… it was only because of that she slept all night on the rather comfortable couch with him

{xoxoxoxoxoxoxox}

"Auntie Aniko!" Kagome gleamed as her and her family exited the taxi. It was so different than her family's home in the busy city of Tokyo. Her father's family had always lived out in the countryside, in a lovely, cozy home within a grove of greenery. Truly, it was one of her favorite places to go when she was a child.

"Kagome! How you have grown!" Her aunt, who looked just like her but older, laughed, "you look so beautiful!"

"Thank you, auntie," she smiled back before hugging her, "it's been too long."

"It has," she assured as she bent down to hug Souta then greet her grandpa and mother.

As grand of a time she had with her family that day, she couldn't help but constantly glance out to the trees in hopes of getting a glimpse of where Shiro was. He had to be out there, he said he'd be watching her, protecting her, but… he could mask his aura and was never in clear sight so throughout the day she never once saw him.

Well, that was until she bid her family a goodnight to go to her private room. She really shouldn't have been surprised to see him at her window no more than a minute after she got down changing into her PJs.

"If you were watching me while I was changing I swear to—" A searing Kagome growled as she opened the window.

"Of course I wasn't," he muttered her before sliding in the window, then shutting it, "I have to keep an eye out for any weird activity."

"You can't stay," she whispered harshly, "you have to leave."

"I just came to make sure you—"

"Obviously, I'm fine, now go!" Kagome kept up, still in close to a hush, as she pushed him towards the window.

"Kagome?" Souta beckoned from the door, "what's Shiro doing here?"

Both froze before Kagome cringed.

"Hey," Shiro replied for them as he turned around, brushing off the still stunned girl and kneeling down in front of Souta, "I've got family in the area so I came here for the holidays."

"How'd you get in here?"

"Window."

Souta nodded wirily before his eyes wondered around his face, a narrowed gaze formed, "that's…" very Inuyasha like and now that Souta stopped to think about it… Shiro looked a lot of him, just what he figured a human Inuyasha would. Just to make sure he yanked on Shior's ears rather abruptly.

"Hey," he scowled as he grasped his ears, "what was that?"

"Nothing… just making sure," Souta nodded before looking up to his sister, "you guys have fun…"

"I don't think he's going to tell your mom," he shrugged right as a slap on his head came, "Kagome! You are violent."

"Shush!" She retorted before placing her hand on top of his mouth, "if anyone else sees you I'm dead, OK? Leave." He mumbled something behind her hand so she sighed, rolled her eyes, and pulled her hand away, "what?"

"Alright," he scoffed, "I just wanted to make sure you are OK."

"Obviously, I am."

He snickered what she just said to himself as he head to the window, jerking his head to the side just in time to avoid the pillow she threw at him. Really, he'd ask if she was PMSing if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't smell any blood. Right away he felt rather bad about that thought, he could guess what was bothering her so much.

"Kagome," he turned around to meet a glare he'd rather not know she was giving him, it stopped him for a moment before he could remember what he was going to say, "let me take you on a date tomorrow, to make up for… you know."

"No," she stated quickly, folding her arms upon her chest before turning a cheek to him, "I'm going to spend time with my family while I'm here not you."

"Kagome," he dragged out until she looked back to him, still sizzling a little, "I swear I would have much rather stayed the entire night with you."

As much as she'd rather not, she was sure she blushed at that comment.

"I promise I won't do anything inappropriate at all tomorrow, not a thing, we don't even have to kiss," he tilted to the side a little so she had to look at him, "please, Kagome?"

"M-Maybe," she murmured, "but for now leave, OK?"

And he did, after making sure she'd lock the window after he left. Her bed faced the window, but still, not once before she fell asleep did she see Shiro lingering out there.

A/N: I'm sorry, this is a rather weak chapter. I just wanted to update since it's been a while. I've temporarily lost my muse for this story... I blame it on the fact finals are coming up. I should be able to write more when those are over and winter break begins. Either way, I hope you keep enjoying the story.